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cnbc.com
Novo Nordisk CEO sees 15 million-patient opportunity in Medicare coverage for obesity drugs
Doustdar said Medicare coverage and the launch of Novo's new obesity pill should help gradually boost prescription volumes and offset lower prices in the U.S.
bbc.com
Lloyds Banking Group to close another 95 branches
The closures have been announced days after Santander said it would shut branches.
bbc.com
Would you pay £7.50 for a pint of Guinness?
A Market Rasen pub asks customers about the cost of Guinness ahead of a price increase in April.
theguardian.com
Mixed message in France’s letter about fertility | Letters
Daniel Whittington writes that it shows a lack of understanding; plus letters on the length of maternity leave and the emotional cost of leaving conception too lateAs a 24-year-old French man, I think this plan (France’s letters to 29-year-olds to remind them to have babies is a spectacular missing of the point, 10 February) reveals a mind‑boggling lack of understanding by our country’s leaders of what is actually going through the minds of our generation.For as long as I can remember, teachers, scientists and the media have been telling us that the world is essentially ending and that life on Earth will not endure. The tone varies, but that is the general message we have grown up with. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Tariff bills across U.S. states mount as affordability and Trump head for midterm elections showdown
New data shows that states where key midterm elections races will take place paid over $134 billion in tariffs during 2025 as affordability issues mounted.
theguardian.com
Scottish rocket startup nears collapse despite £26m in taxpayer loans
Orbex’s collapse would put 150 jobs at risk and dash hopes of it launching first homegrown rocket from ScotlandA British space company hoping to launch the first homegrown rocket from Scotland is on the brink of collapse, threatening 150 jobs and throwing doubt over the UK’s extraterrestrial ambitions.Orbex, which is based in the Scottish Highlands, is lining up administrators as hopes fade that it will strike a rescue deal or raise funds, despite having been handed £26m in government loans last year. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
FAA abruptly lifts order halting El Paso flights; Trump official says Defense Dept. disabled Mexican cartel drones
A Trump administration official said the Department of Defense disabled Mexican cartel drones that had breached U.S. airspace.
cnbc.com
U.S. payrolls rose by 130,000 in January, more than expected; unemployment down to 4.3%
Job growth was stronger than expected to start 2026, providing some relief to concerns about the state of the U.S. labor market.
theguardian.com
US added 130,000 jobs in January, surpassing expectations as 2025 growth is slashed
Unemployment rate was 4.3% in January with gains 13,000 less than the 143,000 jobs added a year ago, report showsThe US jobs market added 130,000 jobs in January, according to a highly anticipated labor market report released on Wednesday, a surge of job growth after months of fatigue in the labor market.The unemployment rate was 4.3% in January, a slight cooling since the fall. Economists predicted 70,000 in job gains and an unchanged unemployment rate for January. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Shopify stock drops despite revenue beat, $2 billion buyback
The company missed analysts' expectations for earnings, and it forecast free-cash-flow margins in the first quarter that could be lower than last year.
cnbc.com
China consumer inflation rises less than expected in January as producer price deflation persists
China's consumer inflation rose less than expected in January while the deflation in producer prices persisted.
cnbc.com
Heineken to slash up to 6,000 jobs in AI 'productivity savings' amid slump in beer sales
Heineken's CEO told CNBC that AI will play an "important part of ongoing productivity savings" after the brewer said it plans to cut up to 7% of its workforce.
cnbc.com
The AI threat wrecked software stocks. Now financial stocks look next with LPL closing 8% lower
Financial services firms tanked after the launch of a new AI-powered tax planning tool that promises to do the work "within minutes."
cnbc.com
Kraft Heinz pauses work to split the company as new CEO says 'challenges are fixable'
Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane said many of the company's issues are "fixable."
cnbc.com
Musk's xAI loses second co-founder in two days
After SpaceX merger, xAI is shedding co-founders with influential researcher Jimmy Ba the latest to depart.
cnbc.com
Bitcoin bounce fades as it hovers around $66,000
Market watchers said bitcoin is showing signs that its historical four-year cycle around halving remains intact.
cnbc.com
Oil rises 2% on US–Iran tensions, improved demand
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East.
bbc.com
Serial rail fare evader fined £3,600 over 112 unpaid tickets
Charles Brohiri travelled without buying a ticket on 112 train journeys over a period of nearly two years.
bbc.com
'Fear and alienation': Senior Co-op staff complain of 'toxic' culture at the top
Lawyers for the Co-op said they do not believe the complaints represent the broader views of staff
bbc.com
US jobs see surprise growth in January after weak 2025
Employers added a greater than expected 130,000 jobs in January, according to the latest figures.
bbc.com
Oatly loses long-running 'milk' battle with dairy lobby
The plant-based drink maker can no longer use the term 'milk' to market its products.
theguardian.com
Oatly banned from using word ‘milk’ to market plant-based products in UK
Swedish company claims ruling is anti-competitive and ‘solely benefits Big Dairy’Business live – latest updatesThe Swedish-based drinks manufacturer Oatly has been banned from using the word “milk” to market its plant-based products, after a ruling by the UK supreme court.The alt-milk manufacturer has been in a long-running legal battle with the trade association Dairy UK after Oatly trademarked phrases associated with the dairy sector. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Siemens Energy stock jumps 6% as data center demand helps quarterly profit triple
European equity markets were lower on Wednesday, as corporate earnings continue to stay in focus.
theguardian.com
‘I am never off the clock’: inside the booming world of gen Z side hustles
More young Americans are taking on side gigs to explore their passions and make extra cash while navigating an unstable job marketAashna Doshi, a software engineer at Google, is constantly monitoring her headspace. “This way I don’t burn myself out,” she said. “And I stay a lot more consistent with my podcast and content creation work.”On top of her day job in the tech giant’s security and artificial intelligence department, Doshi also publishes social media content about working in tech and her life in New York City, and records podcasts – sometimes all three in a day. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Heineken to cut 6,000 jobs as people drink less beer
Dutch brewer lowers forecasts for 2026 profit growth as cost of living and consumer health concerns reduce salesBusiness live – latest updatesHeineken is to cut up to 6,000 jobs globally over the next two years – close to 7% of its workforce – as the Dutch brewer struggles with falling demand for beer.The company, which makes Heineken, Amstel and Tiger, said the cuts would come from brewing and white-collar roles among its 87,000-strong global workforce as it faced “challenging market conditions”. Continue reading...
bbc.com
More than 180 survivors engaged in Harrods abuse redress scheme
The late Mohamed Al Fayed has been accused of sexual harassment during his time as owner.
theguardian.com
Lib Dems plan to scrap Treasury for new ‘department for growth’
Daisy Cooper says ‘over-centralised’ Treasury would be merged with parts of Department for Business and moved to BirminghamThe Liberal Democrats would replace the Treasury and Department for Business with a new department for growth, with the aim of creating a more cohesive and long-term economic vision for the UK, the party has said in a major policy move.Announcing the plan at a speech in London, Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dems’ deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson, said a “Treasury brain” mindset based around short-term fiscal imperatives was dragging the country down. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Oil giant TotalEnergies on Trump's Venezuela dream: ‘Too expensive and too polluting'
TotalEnergies completely exited its oil and gas operations in Venezuela in 2022, following a strategic shift away from heavy and high-sulfur crude.
cnbc.com
Europe's answer to OpenAI announces billion-dollar AI infrastructure push in Sweden
French AI startup Mistral said it will invest 1.2 billion euros ($1.43 billion) into digital infrastructure projects in Sweden.
theguardian.com
You might love olive oil, but don’t put it on your CV | Polly Hudson
The foodstuff was apparently listed as an interest on a job résumé, according to a viral social media post. It might make you stand out, but not in a good wayCompetition in the jobs market is ferocious, so today’s applicants must attempt to stand out. However, it now transpires, not too much. Online debate has been raging over one employment hopeful’s decision to list “olive oil” as an interest on their CV, after an anonymous account on social media claimed that doing so had blown the applicant’s chance of an interview.In their eyes, this failure of judgment in providing an acceptable interest was a dealbreaker. It spoke completely to the prospective candidate’s character, and it had nothing good to say there. It rendered everything else on the page moot. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Activist investor Elliott builds up stake in London Stock Exchange Group
US firm held talks with LSEG to push performance at time of reduced listings and AI concernsBusiness live – latest updatesThe activist investor Elliott Management has built up a “significant” stake in the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) and is engaging with the company to drive its performance at a time of reduced listings and concerns about disruption from artificial intelligence.Elliott’s exact shareholding in LSEG was unclear; the Financial Times, which first reported the stake, added that the fund had been in talks with LSEG to help it work on improvement, encourage the group to consider a fresh share buy-back and to try to narrow the gap with its rivals. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Anthropic executive takes a thinly-veiled swipe at OpenAI over spending and ads
"We've made less flashy headlines than some, and we've been focused on growing revenue and winning business," Anthropic's chief commercial officer told CNBC.
theguardian.com
UK wealth manager and price comparison site shares fall amid AI fears
Drop comes as AI firm Altruist launches service that helps advisers create personalised tax strategiesBusiness live – latest updatesWealth managers and price comparison sites have become the latest companies to be hit by fears that their businesses will be disrupted by new artificial intelligence innovations.Shares in UK wealth management firms tumbled on Wednesday morning, after the AI company Altruist Corp launched a service that it said helps advisers create personalised tax strategies by reading clients’ pay stubs, account statements and other documents. Continue reading...
bbc.com
What's driving Northern Ireland's falling fuel prices?
As petrol prices fall to their lowest levels in five years, BBC News NI takes a look at what's behind the drop.
bbc.com
Children bombarded with weight loss drug ads online, says commissioner
The Children's Commissioner suggested social media advertising for children should be banned.
cnbc.com
French software maker Dassault Systèmes plunges 18%, on track for worst day ever
Shares of the software giant plummeted after the company posted its fourth-quarter earnings.
cnbc.com
Japanese stocks have been hitting record highs. But the rally may be 'fragile'
Japan's Nikkei 225 has notched several firsts in recent days, crossing 56,000, then 57,000 and nearing 58,000, fueled by the so-called "Takaichi trade."
theguardian.com
Qatar’s beIN Sports wins LA 2028 media rights in buildup to 2036 Olympics bid
Qatar still has infrastructure from 2022 World CupAhmedabad, India likely to be other host candidateQatar’s bid to host the 2036 Olympic Games has received a boost with the state-owned broadcaster beIN Sports concluding a media rights deal for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.It is understood that beIN has won the rights to broadcast LA 2028 in the Middle East and north Africa (Mena) region, with the contract signed by the International Olympic Committee president, Kirsty Coventry, and the beIN chair, Nasser al-Khelaifi, over the last few days at the Winter Games in Milan Cortina. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
CNBC Daily Open: Financial firms wobble on AI threats and disappointing U.S. retail sales
Financial stocks wobbled on those claims as investors feared AI tools could replace — or at least lower the value of advisory firms and banking names.
theguardian.com
Family of worker killed on Saudi World Cup site still waiting for compensation a year on
Lengthy delays in compensation are ‘emblematic’ of what many relatives of migrant workers go through in the Gulf kingdom, say rights groupsWhen Mohammad Arshad fell to his death while constructing the first new stadium for the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, one of the main stadium contractors, the Belgian construction multinational Besix, promised it would take immediate steps to ensure all end-of-service and insurance payments were, “handled in a timely and respectful manner”.Almost a year later, Arshad’s family say they have yet to receive either. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
UK car breakdown cover: seven top tips to drive the best deal
Whether you want the basic safety net or complete rescue package, the bill depends as much on what’s needed as what is includedIt is not a legal requirement to have breakdown cover – it is a safety net to ensure you are not left on the roadside if something happens to your vehicle. But you should be aware of all of the policy’s limitations when you buy one. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Britain’s building standards are now so bad, even the super-rich are facing housing misery | Phineas Harper
Residents of the UK’s most expensive flats have won a court case over defective pipework. If their homes are shoddily built, what hope do the rest of us have? Even multimillionaires can’t escape Britain’s cowboy builders, it seems. Last week, residents of One Hyde Park, the UK’s most expensive flats, won a £35m court case against the contractor that built their homes. The high court ordered the construction company Laing O’Rourke to fix defective pipework that was discovered to be causing problems in 2014, only three years after the luxury development was completed.At the other end of the economy, tens of thousands of families are facing damp and mould issues also caused by botched building works. A National Audit Office investigation revealed in October last year that a staggering 98% of external insulation fitted under the previous government’s home-improvement schemes was installed so ineptly that it will have to be repaired or replaced.Phineas Harper is a writer and curator Continue reading...
cnbc.com
CNBC's UK Exchange newsletter: Compass shifts its trading to dollars — and it might not be the last
Compass — a British company that is a genuine world leader in its field — caused some alarm when it announced it was switching its trading currency.
theguardian.com
‘The trend is irreversible’: has Romania shattered the link between economic growth and high emissions?
Emissions have plunged 75% since communist times in the birthplace of big oil – but for some the transition has been brutal Once the frozen fields outside Bucharest have thawed, workers will assemble the largest solar farm in Europe: one million photovoltaic panels backed by batteries to power homes after sunset. But the 760MW project in southern Romania will not hold the title for long. In the north-west, authorities have approved a bigger plant that will boast a capacity of 1GW.The sun-lit plots of silicon and glass will join a slew of projects that have rendered the Romanian economy unrecognisable from its polluted state when communism ended. They include an onshore windfarm near the Black Sea that for several years was Europe’s biggest, a nuclear power plant by the Danube whose lifetime is being extended by 30 years, and a fast-spreading patchwork of solar panels topping homes and shops across the country. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
CNBC's The China Connection newsletter: Inside China’s push to feed 1.4 billion people without U.S. crops
China's food security ambitions are already bearing fruit in domestic produce.
theguardian.com
The big AI job swap: why white-collar workers are ditching their careers
As AI job losses rise in the professional sector, many are switching to more traditional trades. But how do they feel about accepting lower pay – and, in some cases, giving up their vocation?California-based Jacqueline Bowman had been dead set on becoming a writer since she was a child. At 14 she got her first internship at her local newspaper, and later she studied journalism at university. Though she hadn’t been able to make a full-time living from her favourite pastime – fiction writing – post-university, she consistently got writing work (mostly content marketing, some journalism) and went freelance full-time when she was 26. Sure, content marketing wasn’t exactly the dream, but she was writing every day, and it was paying the bills – she was happy enough.“But something really switched in 2024,” Bowman, now 30, says. Layoffs and publication closures meant that much of her work “kind of dried up. I started to get clients coming to me and talking about AI,” she says – some even brazen enough to tell her how “great” it was “that we don’t need writers any more”. She was offered work as an editor – checking and altering work produced by artificial intelligence. The idea was that polishing up already-written content would take less time than writing it from scratch, so Bowman’s fee was reduced to about half of what it had been when she was writing for the same content marketing agency – but, in reality, it ended up taking double the time. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Why Jeff Bezos gutted the Washington Post - podcast
Hundreds of jobs have gone at the newspaper that broke the Watergate scandal. Was profit or politics behind the decision? Jeremy Barr reportsReporting on a corrupt president made the Washington Post a global sensation with Watergate – and the masthead became a byword for fearless reporting. But last week the news organisation axed about 400 jobs, with some reporters discovering they were being laid off while still in war zones.Media organisations face tough times with falls in advertising revenues and search traffic, and making cuts is not necessarily surprising. But with Jeff Bezos having bought the company, buying the rights to The Apprentice and making a lavishly produced documentary with Melania Trump, critics are asking whether politics, not profits, are really behind the move. Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Salesforce employees call on CEO Benioff to cancel ICE 'opportunities'
More than 1,400 Salesforce employees have signed a letter calling on CEO Marc Benioff to cancel all potential business with the U.S. ICE agency.
cnbc.com
Asia markets mostly rise as investors shrug off weak U.S. retail sales, assess China inflation
Stocks in Asia moved higher Wednesday, extending recent gains despite softer-than-expected U.S. retail sales and growing unease over AI on Wall Street.
cnbc.com
Hong Kong proceeds with stablecoin plans despite Beijing's reservations
Hong Kong's Monetary Authority has proceeded with plans to distribute an initial batch of stablecoin issuer licenses, despite China's prohibitions on crypto.
cnbc.com
CNBC Daily Open: AI might come for financial firms next — and a weak U.S. retail report weighs on stocks
Financial stocks wobbled on those claims as investors feared AI tools could replace — or at least lower the value of advisory firms and banking names.
cnbc.com
Shares of Australian biotech major CSL plunge to 8-year low after CEO departure, weak earnings
Shares of biotech company CSL plunged after the company announced that Chief Executive Officer Paul McKenzie will step down.
theguardian.com
Britney Spears sells rights to music catalog for undisclosed sum, say reports
Music publisher Primary Wave said to have bought rights to pop star’s music, including Toxic and Baby One More TimeBritney Spears has sold the rights to her music catalog, which includes hits such as Toxic, Baby One More Time and Gimme More, according to media reports.The music publisher Primary Wave is said to have purchased the pop star’s music rights on 30 December, TMZ reported on Tuesday, citing legal documents. An unnamed source “familiar with the deal” confirmed the sale to the New York Times. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Disney advert banned for showing 'disturbing' severed body
Disney argued the severed figure in the advert was a robot and "visually distinct from a human".
theguardian.com
‘Unsustainable’ gaps in policing of franchise businesses must end, MPs say
House of Commons business and trade committee calls for changes after series of scandals in sectorThe UK government needs to eradicate “unsustainable” gaps in the policing of franchise businesses after a series of scandals to hit the sector, a parliamentary committee has found.The conclusion forms part of the business and trade committee’s small business strategy report and follows a Guardian investigation in December which revealed claims that Adrian Howe, a former Vodafone employee who had agreed to become a franchisee in 2018, drowned after becoming convinced his deal with the multinational company would prove financially disastrous. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Ford says it took an extra $900m tariff hit last year
The US carmaker's tariff costs were higher than expected because of a change to the Trump administration's tariff relief program.
cnbc.com
Crypto's 'age of speculation' may be over, says Galaxy CEO Mike Novogratz
The decline in bitcoin, other cryptocurrencies in 2026 is not just another dip but may mark end of retail speculation trading, says Galaxy CEO Mike Novogratz.
theguardian.com
Epstein engineered intimate relationship for Tesla’s Kimbal Musk, emails show
Elon Musk’s younger brother and the woman were involved for about six months between 2012 and 2013Jeffrey Epstein engineered an intimate relationship between a woman in his network and Kimbal Musk, who is the brother of Elon Musk and on the board of directors at Tesla, according to emails from the Department of Justice’s recent release of documents involving the convicted sex offender. The younger Musk and the woman were involved for around six months between 2012 and 2013, with Kimbal Musk describing them as “dating”.In the lead-up to Musk and the woman’s first meeting, Epstein and his longtime associate Boris Nikolic labored to set them up and bring her to a birthday party Musk was throwing – with Nikolic telling Epstein: “please prepare [the woman] —;)” Continue reading...
cnbc.com
Jeffrey Epstein has sparked a political crisis threatening the UK government. Here's what's happening
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has faced calls from some of his own Labour lawmakers to step down in recent days.
theguardian.com
Ireland’s basic income for the arts scheme becomes permanent
When piloted, initiative that provided €325 a week to eligible artists recouped more than its net cost, study shows Ireland is creating a scheme that will give artists a weekly income in the hope of reducing their need for alternative work and boosting their creativity.The Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) initiative will provide €325 (£283) a week to 2,000 eligible artists based in the Republic of Ireland in three-year cycles. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
UK signed deals with US firms that were clients of Mandelson lobbying company
Clients of Global Counsel, co-founded by Mandelson, included OpenAI and Palantir, which have both signed deals with governmentA lobbying firm co-owned by Peter Mandelson worked for OpenAI before the US tech company signed a wide-ranging agreement with the UK government to explore deploying AI in Britain’s justice, security and education systems.In 2024, the $500bn-valued maker of ChatGPT was a client of Global Counsel, which Mandelson co-founded and part-owned. Keir Starmer subsequently appointed Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
US restaurants targeted for opposing ICE: ‘I refuse to cook for fascists’
Restaurants face one-star reviews and less business in an already precarious industry. Some restaurateurs fear speaking out as immigrants themselvesAmid calls for a national shutdown on 30 January, Anton Kinloch displayed a sign on the sidewalk outside Lone Wolf, his craft cocktail bar and restaurant in Kingston, New York. In large block letters he wrote: “WE LOVE ICE IN DRINKS. WE DON’T LOVE ICE IN REAL LIFE. SOLIDARITY ALWAYS.”Along with his wife and business partner, Lisa Dy, he had made the difficult decision to stay open, electing instead to donate a portion of the night’s proceeds to a local immigrant advocacy group. With frigid temperatures and inclement weather stymying business in the region this winter, he simply could not afford the lost revenue. But he refused to stay silent in the aftermath of the brutal killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents in Minneapolis. Continue reading...
bbc.com
US consumer spending slowed in December - Is it a warning for the economy?
Retail sales were unexpectedly flat in December as consumers pulled back, raising questions about a broader economic slowdown.
bbc.com
Wrapped helps Spotify add users despite artists' criticism over fees
The Swedish music giant saw record users despite artists saying they aren't paid enough to put their music on the platform.
theguardian.com
Cowboys, lassos, and nudity: AI startups turn to stunts for attention in a crowded market
Businesses are using theatrical stunts not for shock alone but to create viral content and drive sales conversations onlineWhen Lunos, an AI startup in New York City, was gearing up for launch, its founder and chief executive, Duncan Barrigan, and his team wanted to make a splash. So they shelled out $3,500 to do the unconventional: hire a horse and a cowboy to lasso the bull of Wall Street.On a sweltering evening in late September, the cowboy galloped toward the iconic sculpture in lower Manhattan. Wearing ranch gear and a western hat stamped with the Lunos logo, he lassoed the bull’s horns as invitees and curious passersby watched. He and the horse then circled the statue, handing out cowboy hats and branded stress balls. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Honeymoon period for new BP boss won’t last long
Markets did not like the decision to suspend share buy-backs – and investors will want clarity about what happens nextThe clearing of the decks continues apace at BP. The last chief executive, Murray Auchincloss, got the heave-ho in December. Last month brought news of hefty write-downs on the troublesome low-carbon energy assets in solar and biogas. Now comes an admission that the current debt-reduction measures aren’t enough to ease the strain on an over-extended balance sheet. Share buy-backs are being suspended.Buy-backs have become the essential symbol of financial virility in today’s oil industry. At the right price, they represent an efficient use of excess capital and are a way for managements to send obligatory signals about “financial discipline”, meaning refraining from empire-building adventures. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
We need a fresh vision to save our high streets | Letters
Readers respond to an editorial and letters on the decline of town centres and the need to redesign public spacesRegarding your editorial (The Guardian view on high-street decline: a symbol of failure in a discontented nation, 3 February), saving high streets requires four things that the Treasury, the dead hand of government innovation, won’t like.First, it requires an overhaul of the business rates system, and second, a new tax for online business. Third, it requires compelling landlords to charge reasonable rents. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Student loan move could cost Labour dear | Letter
Dr Michael Symonds and Gavin Greenwood respond to an editorial on graduate loansYour editorial (8 February) is correct to highlight that a graduate levy by stealth is no way to fund the NHS and its potential consequences. This will include resident doctors, whose dissatisfaction with their pay and working conditions will be amplified by the chancellor’s statement that they now need to help pay for their own salaries.The anger that recent graduates feel will also be felt by their parents, many of whom benefited from free higher education and see as unfair the repayment/tax changes being imposed. The government should bear in mind the electoral near wipeout experienced by the Liberal Democrats in 2015, having enabled the Tory-led coalition to triple the cost of student fees, despite the manifesto pledge to remove it.Dr Michael SymondsEmeritus professor, University of Nottingham medical school Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Where will I get £2 in a cashless world? | Brief letters
Special coins | Country Diary | Duvet days | Washing instructions | Sleeping on the job | A former princeI enjoyed Sammy Gecsoyler’s article on using only cash for a week (My week of only using cash: could a return to notes and coins change my life?, 10 February), but he does not mention the joy of getting one of the specially designed £2 coins in change. My collection contains all the Shakespeare ones and Charles Dickens, but I lack the new George Orwell one. How will I get one now, with so little cash being spent?Manju GhoshBolton, Greater Manchester• The Country Diary is a beacon in the chaos in the country. Susie White’s beautiful prose from Cullernose Point, Northumberland (9 February), took me back to the late 1950s when we had botany classes there, with the bonus of the sounds from the birds.Jean JacksonSeer Green, Buckinghamshire Continue reading...
cnbc.com
UK's latest political standoff threatens to put a 'Damocles sword' over Britain's bond market, investors warn
UK's latest political standoff threatens to put a 'Damocles sword' over Britain's bond market, investors warn
bbc.com
Netflix and Paramount are battling for Warner Bros. Who is likely to win?
What to know about the two firms' blockbuster battle to control Warner Bros Discovery.
theguardian.com
The EU is working on a blanket ban of ‘forever chemicals’. Why isn't Britain? | Pippa Neill
In Lancashire, I met people living with dangerous levels of Pfas, including in their food. The government is failing themLast week, on the morning the government published its Pfas action plan, I got a worried phone call from a woman called Sam who lives next door to a chemical factory in Lancashire. Sam had just been hand-delivered a letter from her local council informing her that after testing, it had been confirmed that her ducks’ eggs, reared in her garden in Thornton-Cleveleys, near Blackpool, are contaminated with Pfas.Pfas – per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, commonly known as “forever chemicals” due to their persistence in the environment – are a family of thousands of chemicals, and I have been reporting on them for years. Some, including those found in the eggs Sam and her family have been eating, have been linked to a wide range of serious illnesses, including certain cancers. Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Is it possible to develop AI without the US?
Tech giants Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft and Meta to collectively invest $600bn on artificial intelligence this yearHello, and welcome to TechScape. Today in tech, we’re discussing the Persian Gulf countries making a play for sovereignty over their own artificial intelligence in response to an unstable United States. That, and US tech giants’ plans to spend more than $600bn this year alone.Bitcoin loses half its value in three months amid crypto crunchHow cryptocurrency’s second-largest coin missed out on the industry’s boomFiles cast light on Jeffrey Epstein’s ties to cryptocurrencyWhy has Elon Musk merged his rocket company with his AI startup?Hail our new robot overlords! Amazon warehouse tour offers glimpse of futureSocial media companies are being sued for harming their users’ mental health – but are the platforms addictive?Anthropic’s launch of AI legal tool hits shares in European data companies Continue reading...
bbc.com
Apple and Google agree to change app stores after 'effective duopoly' claim
The UK's markets regulator says the proposed commitments "will boost the UK's app economy".
bbc.com
Wegovy maker sues rival over 'knock-off' weight-loss drugs
Novo Nordisk says Hims & Hers' drugs breach its patent; Hims & Hers calls the lawsuit a "blatant attack".
theguardian.com
Out of the red, but at what cost? Birmingham council asset sales have left city reeling, say residents
As council declares it’s ‘no longer bankrupt’, people say closure of services have added to social isolation and crimeWhen Birmingham city council announced last week it was “no longer bankrupt”, after years of budget cuts and asset sales, one retired police officer was left feeling despondent.Wendy Collymore had experienced first-hand the impact of the council’s cost-cutting drive on the UK’s second largest city when the adult day centre her elderly father attended was forced to close in 2024. Continue reading...
bbc.com
BP steps up cost cutting as profits slide
The oil giant also suspends its share buyback programme ahead of the arrival of its new boss.
theguardian.com
No, the human-robot singularity isn’t here. But we must take action to govern AI | Samuel Woolley
Moltbook, a social media site for AI agents, is nothing new. Still, the marriage of big tech and politics demands we take a standOn a recent trip to the San Francisco Bay Area, I was shocked by the billboards that lined the freeway outside of the airport. “The singularity is here,” proclaimed one. “Humanity had a good run,” said another. It seemed like every other sign along the road was plastered with claims from tech firms making outrageous claims about artificial intelligence. The ads, of course, were rife with hype and ragebait. But the claims they contain aren’t occurring in a vacuum. The OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, recently said: “We basically have built AGI, or very close to it,” before confusingly qualifying his statement as “spiritual”. Elon Musk has gone even further, claiming: “We have entered the singularity.”Enter Moltbook, the social media site built for AI agents. A place where bots can talk to other bots, in other words. A spate of doom-laden news articles and op-eds followed its launch. The authors fretted about the fact that the bots were talking about religion, claiming to have secretly spent their human builders’ money, and even plotting the overthrow of humanity. Many pieces contained suggestions eerily like those on the billboards in San Francisco: that machines are now not only as smart as humans (a theory known as artificial general intelligence) but that they are moving beyond us (a sci-fi concept known as the singularity).Samuel Woolley is the author of Manufacturing Consensus: Understanding Propaganda in the Era of Automation and Anonymity and co-author of Bots. He is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. Continue reading...
bbc.com
More solar farms on the way after record renewables auction
The results have been welcomed by climate and clean energy groups but could face opposition from local communities.
bbc.com
Instagram and YouTube owners built 'addiction machines', trial hears
The tech giants are under scrutiny over social media addiction in a landmark jury trial in Los Angeles
theguardian.com
EasyJet refuses to honour a promised £472 refund
We had to buy a new ticket after an air traffic control outage but the airline is giving endless excuses for not repaying usThe day before my easyJet flight to Budapest last July, a UK air traffic control outage caused significant disruption at Gatwick.On my arrival at the airport check-in, easyJet staff refused to issue me with a boarding pass because a smaller aircraft, with fewer seats, had had to be substituted. This left 35 passengers unable to board. Continue reading...
bbc.com
How £50m 'fish disco' could save farmland
Innovative tech scares fish away from nuclear cooling pipes.
theguardian.com
My week of only using cash: could a return to notes and coins change my life?
After a reckless shopping spree, I ditched contactless payments and bank cards to see how far £200 cash in hand would get me – and if I could improve my spending habitsIf I’m lucky, I can just about squeeze a £20 note into the back of my phone case, which holds the device I reflexively tap to pay for almost everything. But this week was different. After a reckless coffee-and-clothing spending spree made a mighty dent in my bank account, I decided I needed to take action. Self-control was one option, but another more drastic route was blunt-force restriction. I would ditch contactless payments, along with debit and credit cards. Instead, I would spend a week relying solely on cash.After subtracting the lavish lattes and Asos deliveries that had massively inflated my average weekly spend, I allowed myself £180 for the basics, including food and travel. For safety, I gave myself an extra £20. The first task was to take out £200 in cash from the ATM. But what the hell was my pin number? Thanks to contactless capabilities, I hadn’t used this all-important combination of digits in more than a year. Googling how to find it, I discovered I’d have to wait three to five working days to get a letter reminding me of it in the post. This wouldn’t do. I decided to head to my local bank to explain my predicament. Continue reading...
bbc.com
US to exempt some Bangladeshi clothes from tariffs
The White House agreed to carve out exemptions for US-produced cotton from Bangladesh.
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Why food fraud persists, even with improving tech
Even with sophisticated technology it is still difficult to detect fake foods.
bbc.com
Japan has given Takaichi a landslide win - but can she bring back the economy?
Japan has been battling sluggish growth, mounting public debt and a rapidly ageing workforce.
bbc.com
Target slashes 500 jobs as retailer seeks to invest in its stores
Executives said the reductions were part of a restructuring meant to help fix stagnant sales.
theguardian.com
Jimmy Lai: Hong Kong media tycoon gets 20 years in jail – The Latest
The media mogul and prominent pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in Hong Kong for national security offences. His family has described the sentence as ‘heartbreakingly cruel’, given the 78-year-old’s declining health. Lai was convicted in December on charges of sedition and conspiracy to collude with foreign forces, after pleading not guilty to all charges. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s senior China correspondent, Amy Hawkins – watch on YouTube Continue reading...
theguardian.com
Scottish Labour leader calls for Keir Starmer to resign as PM – video
Anas Sarwar, the leader of the Labour party in Scotland, called on Monday for Keir Starmer to resign, saying the government's failures had 'drowned out' its accomplishments. Calls for the prime minister's resignation have been growing this week after new Epstein files revelations about Peter Mandelson, who was appointed US ambassador by StarmerUK politics live – latest updates Continue reading...
bbc.com
Make-up brand Barry M bought by rival Warpaint
The cosmetics and nail varnish line was one of the last family-owned make-up firms in the UK.
theguardian.com
‘We’re being turned into an energy colony’: Argentina’s nuclear plan faces backlash over US interests
Push to restart uranium mining in Patagonia has sparked fears about the environmental impact and loss of sovereignty over key resourcesOn an outcrop above the Chubut River, one of the few to cut across the arid Patagonian steppe of southern Argentina, Sergio Pichiñán points across a wide swath of scrubland to colourful rock formations on a distant hillside.“That’s where they dug for uranium before, and when the miners left, they left the mountain destroyed, the houses abandoned, and nobody ever studied the water,” he says, citing suspicions arising from cases of cancer and skin diseases in his community. “If they want to open this back up, we’re all pretty worried around here.” Continue reading...
theguardian.com
A new town for the 21st century? Seven-village build to begin after 20-year journey
Gilston in Hertfordshire aims to be rebuke to cookie-cutter estates with network of 10,000 new homes within country parks and woodlandAfter two decades of legal wrangling and planning bottlenecks, the first bricks will finally be laid on a project being hailed by developers as the blueprint for the future of community building in Britain.Gilston in east Hertfordshire will be transformed into a network of seven interconnected villages, comprising 10,000 new homes nestled within a sprawling 660-hectare (1,630-acre) landscape of country parks and woodland. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Businesses face extinction unless they protect nature, major report warns
Experts call for urgent action by businesses to restore the natural systems that keep them running.
cnbc.com
S&P is already predicting China's property slump will be worse than it expected this year
S&P Global Ratings said China's primary real estate sales will likely drop by 10% to 14% this year, steeper than the decline predicted back in October.
theguardian.com
‘It’s like two divorcing parents’: how actors’ union Equity fell out with casting directory Spotlight
Union to appeal after losing case against historic talent index in battle that could reshape UK acting landscapeFor almost a century it has been the casting directors’ bible, a shopfront for actors from Laurence Olivier, Olivia Colman and Daniel Craig to the 16-year-old Adolescence star Owen Cooper to help land their next theatre, film or TV role.But now Spotlight is locked in a costly legal battle prompted by Equity, the equally venerable union that represents tens of thousands of performers that rely on the casting directory’s services, in an internecine conflict that could dramatically reshape the UK acting landscape. Continue reading...
bbc.com
Japanese stocks surge as Takaichi secures historic election victory
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's Liberal Democratic Party secured 316 out of 465 seats in Sunday's election.
bbc.com
Donation appeal as vulnerable face food bank delay
A mental health support team set up a pantry in Wolverhampton to help those living in food poverty.
theguardian.com
A broken high street and its billionaire owners
The whole town centre of Newton Aycliffe in County Durham is owned by billionaire brothers – so why is it so run down? Josh Halliday reportsThe Guardian’s northern editor, Josh Halliday, recently went to Newton Aycliffe, a town in County Durham, to talk to residents about their high street. They hated it, they told him: there were too many boarded-up shops, the banks had closed and the whole place looked miserable. And yet, Josh discovered, the high street – and the whole of the town centre – was owned by billionaires.Newton Aycliffe was a new town and when it was built, the high street was supposed to be the jewel in the crown. Today, Josh tells Helen Pidd, “it feels a bit like a ghost town. When I was doing the reporting for this story I was counting the shops: how many there were, which ones were vacant. A teacher spotted my notebook and he just said to me, ‘it’s disgusting, isn’t it?’” Continue reading...
bbc.com
The shadowy world of abandoned oil tankers
A growing number of tankers and other commercial vessels are being ditched by their owners.
bbc.com
The tech firms embracing a 72-hour working week
In the race for AI, tech firms are asking for their staff to work long hours. But there are risks, experts say.
bbc.com
Plane makers chase Asia's super-rich with luxe new private jets
Parts of the aviation industry are shifting towards wealthy customers and selling a more luxurious type of international travel.
bbc.com
Apprenticeship clearing system to be introduced
The prime minister said "outdated assumptions about how to make it into a successful career" have held young people back.
bbc.com
City volunteers seek drivers for meal deliveries
Friends of Di's Kitchen provides hundreds of meals each week in Wolverhampton.
bbc.com
How Britain became a fried chicken nation
An internet craze for American-style chicken has come to the UK, but what does it mean for traditional chippies?
bbc.com
Voluntary student loan repayments rise in England
Campaigners have criticised the terms of loans that were issued in England and still exist in Wales.
bbc.com
Most smart motorways not value for money, say reports
National Highways found only three out of 16 schemes are on track to deliver the financial benefits expected.
bbc.com
Kids can be the harshest critics…
The candidates test their story on a group of kids.
bbc.com
Should you overpay your mortgage or save?
Martin Lewis explains.
bbc.com
Bank of England chief 'shocked' at Mandelson emails
The Bank governor criticised emails between Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein during the financial crisis.
bbc.com
Can robots ever be graceful?
Firms are working to make the motors that drive robots more efficient and cheaper.
bbc.com
Bank hints at rate cuts, but don't expect Covid-era mortgage deals
The Bank of England may have suggested more rate cuts are on the way, but they are unlikely to go much lower.
bbc.com
Watch: 20-tonne reservoir wall installed in three-day project
The steel structure was lowered into place at the new reservoir in a 72-hour continuous operation.
bbc.com
Silence and inaction - how audio helped prove captain guilty of North Sea tanker crash
The top detective investigating the tanker collision says there were early signs of gross negligence from Vladimir Motin
bbc.com
Gary Neville returns to the Den
Gary Neville re-joins the dragons as they put another set of business hopefuls to the test.
bbc.com
The yachting industry searches for alternatives to teak
Prized for its beauty, teak is in short supply, forcing the yacht industry to look for alternatives.
bbc.com
The Chinese planemaker taking on Boeing and Airbus
Comac's passenger jet is attracting customers in South East Asia where demand for affordable aircraft is growing.
bbc.com
Asda has lost its mojo and has a big fight to get it back
The industry data suggests that despite Asda embarking on a turnaround, it has been losing ground to rivals.
bbc.com
The real impact of roadworks on the country - and why they're set to get worse
There is a fine balance between the benefits of improved infrastructure, versus the cost of disruption. Does the country have it right?
bbc.com
Why the railways often seem to be in such chaos over Christmas
Parts of Britain’s rail network will close for engineering work over the festive period - but is that the right time to do it?
bbc.com
Budget 2025: What's the best and worst that could happen for Labour?
Three days in, after a tax U-turn and partial climbdown on workers' rights, Laura Kuenssberg looks at what impact Budget week might have.
bbc.com
Has Britain's budget watchdog become too all-powerful?
Ahead of this week's Budget, some have accused the Office for Budget Responsibility of being a "straitjacket on growth"
bbc.com
The curious case of why Poundland is struggling during a cost-of-living crisis
Why - in an age where so many of us are feeling the financial pinch - are some budget shops on UK high streets having such a tough time?
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